Words: Kyle Simpson
Following two heartbreaking losses, the Ravens and their fans were aware that change was needed in the upper echelon of the coaching staff. That change came Monday morning with the firing of offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and the promotion of quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell. Leaving fans wondering, was this the right call to make this late in the season?
The short answer is that only time and results will tell. Cameron has led the Ravens to four winning seasons (and a winning record in the first 13 games of the current season) and two AFC championships. Through those four years Cameron had his moments of great play calling, but his inconsistency led to many moments where the offense would find itself struggling to find momentum. When Cameron would give quarterback Joe Flacco a little breathing room to call a few plays from the line of scrimmage, the offense would get great momentum and be generally very good at marching down the field. However, Cameron generally held onto the playing calling which had mixed results at best, many times having fans shouting “Cam you suck!” or “Cam needs to go!” Begging the question, now that Cameron is gone, will the offense magically become consistent? To be blunt, no. It won’t. Caldwell has no time to rework the current offense or generate new plays with only three weeks left. The true test will be next year after a full offseason and training camp, giving Caldwell much more time to work with the entire offense as opposed to just Flacco.
“My responsibility is the entire team and what’s best fir them right now. We need a change. Our plan and goals are to win games, win our division, and get to the playoffs,” said head coach John Harbaugh Monday in his press conference announcing the move.
Caldwell came from Indianapolis this year to help coach Flacco and improve communication between Cameron and Flacco; little did he know he’d be helming the offense by the end of the year. Back in Indianapolis he led a generally no-huddle attack with Peyton Manning (that was generally prolific game in and game out. Not to say that Flacco will suddenly play at a Peyton Manning-like level, but he will run a similar offense.
“It’s not a system change,” Caldwell commented in his press conference Monday afternoon,” Obviously the Ravens offense is the Ravens offense. It is not a philosophical change.”
Best wishes to Cameron and his family as they move forward, Cam Cameron will have many opportunities ahead of him. Harbaugh echoed the sentiment Monday, “Cam is going to go on and coach. He is going to be coaching very soon in the National Football League. A five-year run as an offensive coordinator in this league is pretty good.”
